A showman's life is a smokey bar
The fevered chase of a tiny star
It's a hotel room and a lonely wife
From what I've seen of a showman's life
Nobody told me about this part
They told me all about the pretty girls and wine
The money and good times
No mention of the wear and tear on an old honkey-tonker's heart
Well I might have known it
But nobody told me about this part
A boy will dream as children do
Of a great white way, 'til the dream comes true
And a phony smile in a colored light
Is all it is to a showman's life